GeForce 6600 LE vs RADEON 9800 XT

NVIDIA

GeForce 6600 LE

2012Core: 823 MHzBoost: 888 MHz
Similar parts
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VS
AMD

RADEON 9800 XT

2022Core: 1387 MHzBoost: 2394 MHz
Similar parts
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GeForce 6600 LE vs RADEON 9800 XT Performance Spectrum

About G3D Mark

G3D Mark is a standard benchmark that measures graphics performance in real-world gaming scenarios. It simplifies comparing cards from different brands, where higher scores directly correlate with better fps and smoother gaming experiences.

GeForce 6600 LE vs RADEON 9800 XT FPS Benchmarks

Predicted gaming performance across popular games. Tested paired with Ryzen 7 9800X3D to isolate GPU performance.

Search any supported game below to compare 1080p FPS for both components.

GeForce 6600 LE vs RADEON 9800 XT: Pros, Cons & Final Verdict

See where each GPU makes more sense in practice: raw FPS, VRAM, features, power draw, pricing, and long-term headroom.

GeForce 6600 LE

2012

Why buy it

  • Costs $469 less on MSRP ($30 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Delivers 1388.2% more G3D Mark for each dollar spent, at 1.7 vs 0.1 G3D/$ ($30 MSRP vs $499 MSRP).
  • Draws 130W instead of 300W, a 170W reduction.

Trade-offs

  • Lower PassMark G3D performance (51 vs 57).
  • 2012 hardware with 256 MB of VRAM is already well past its comfortable zone for modern gaming, so it is hard to recommend now.

RADEON 9800 XT

2022

Why buy it

  • +11.8% higher PassMark G3D performance.
  • Better long-term bet: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 5nm gives it a newer hardware base for upcoming games.
  • More future proof: RDNA 3.0 (2022−2026) on 5nm with a newer platform for upcoming games.

Trade-offs

  • 1563.3% HIGHER MSRP
    $499 MSRPvs$30 MSRP
  • Lower G3D Mark per dollar, at 0.1 vs 1.7 G3D/$ ($499 MSRP vs $30 MSRP).
  • 130.8% higher power demand at 300W vs 130W.

Quick Answers

Which GPU is faster for gaming right now?
RADEON 9800 XT is the faster gaming card right now based on the synthetic data we have. It leads by 11.8% in PassMark G3D (57 vs 51), which is the best performance signal available in this matchup.
Which GPU is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond?
RADEON 9800 XT is the safer long-term pick for 2026 and beyond. The case is simple: the newer upscaling stack, FSR Upscaling / FSR 4 (2025) instead of no meaningful modern upscaling stack, a 5nm process instead of 28nm, 84 vs 0 ray-tracing units, and a newer 2022 generation instead of 2012. That gives it the more rounded hardware package for newer games.
Which GPU is the better buy today?
GeForce 6600 LE makes the most sense to buy today. It is $469 cheaper on MSRP at $30 vs $499, and it leads G3D-per-dollar by 1388.2% (1.7 vs 0.1), which is enough to swing the recommendation its way. If you are mainly targeting 1080p and some 1440p, GeForce 6600 LE is the easier value choice. If you care more about 1080p and some 1440p headroom, RADEON 9800 XT has the stronger long-term case.

GeForce 6600 LE vs RADEON 9800 XT Technical Specifications

Side-by-side specs, architecture details, clocks, memory, power, and platform differences.

NVIDIA

GeForce 6600 LE

The GeForce 6600 LE is manufactured by NVIDIA. It was released in August 22 2012. It features the Kepler architecture. The core clock ranges from 823 MHz to 888 MHz. It has 1152 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 130W. Manufactured using 28 nm process technology. G3D Mark benchmark score: 51 points.

AMD

RADEON 9800 XT

The RADEON 9800 XT is manufactured by AMD. It was released in November 3 2022. It features the RDNA 3.0 architecture. The core clock ranges from 1387 MHz to 2394 MHz. It has 5376 shading units. The thermal design power (TDP) is 300W. Manufactured using 5 nm process technology. It features 84 dedicated ray tracing cores for enhanced lighting effects. G3D Mark benchmark score: 57 points. Launch price was $899.

Graphics Performance

In G3D Mark, the GeForce 6600 LE scores 51 versus the RADEON 9800 XT's 57 — the RADEON 9800 XT leads by 11.8%. The GeForce 6600 LE is built on Kepler while the RADEON 9800 XT uses RDNA 3.0, both on 28 nm vs 5 nm. Shader units: 1,152 (GeForce 6600 LE) vs 5,376 (RADEON 9800 XT). Raw compute: 2.046 TFLOPS (GeForce 6600 LE) vs 51.48 TFLOPS (RADEON 9800 XT). Boost clocks: 888 MHz vs 2394 MHz.

FeatureGeForce 6600 LERADEON 9800 XT
G3D Mark Score
51
57+12%
Architecture
Kepler
RDNA 3.0
Process Node
28 nm
5 nm
Shading Units
1152
5376+367%
Compute (TFLOPS)
2.046 TFLOPS
51.48 TFLOPS+2416%
Boost Clock
888 MHz
2394 MHz+170%
ROPs
32
192+500%
TMUs
96
336+250%
L1 Cache
0.09 MB
3 MB+3233%
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
6 MB+1100%

Advanced Features (DLSS/FSR)

The GeForce 6600 LE gets NVIDIA DLSS, which still tends to look cleaner in motion. The RADEON 9800 XT leans on FSR, which is flexible and widely supported, but usually a bit rougher at the same settings.

FeatureGeForce 6600 LERADEON 9800 XT
Upscaling Tech
Upscaling support
FSR Upscaling / FSR 4
Frame Generation
Not Supported
Not Supported
Ray Reconstruction
No
No
Low Latency
NVIDIA Reflex
AMD Anti-Lag
💾

Video Memory (VRAM)

Both cards ship with 256 MB of GDDR5. Memory bus width is 128-bit on the GeForce 6600 LE and 64-bit on the RADEON 9800 XT. L2 Cache: 0.5 MB (GeForce 6600 LE) vs 6 MB (RADEON 9800 XT) — the RADEON 9800 XT has significantly larger on-die cache to reduce VRAM reliance.

FeatureGeForce 6600 LERADEON 9800 XT
VRAM Capacity
0.25 GB
0.25 GB
Memory Type
GDDR5
GDDR5
Bus Width
128-bit+100%
64-bit
L2 Cache
0.5 MB
6 MB+1100%
🖥️

Display & API Support

DirectX support: 9.0c (GeForce 6600 LE) vs 9_0 (RADEON 9800 XT). Maximum simultaneous displays: 2 vs 2.

FeatureGeForce 6600 LERADEON 9800 XT
DirectX
9.0c
9_0
Max Displays
2
2
🔌

Power & Dimensions

The GeForce 6600 LE draws 130W versus the RADEON 9800 XT's 300W — a 79.1% difference. The GeForce 6600 LE is more power-efficient. Recommended PSU: 350W (GeForce 6600 LE) vs 350W (RADEON 9800 XT). Power connectors: Legacy vs Legacy. Card length: 180mm vs 180mm, occupying 1 vs 1 slots.

FeatureGeForce 6600 LERADEON 9800 XT
TDP
130W-57%
300W
Recommended PSU
350W
350W
Power Connector
Legacy
Legacy
Length
180mm
180mm
Height
111mm
Slots
1
1
Perf/Watt
0.4+100%
0.2
💰

Value Analysis

At launch, the GeForce 6600 LE came in at $30, while the RADEON 9800 XT launched at $499. On MSRP, GeForce 6600 LE was 94% cheaper ($469 less). Performance per dollar on MSRP (G3D Mark / MSRP): 1.7 (GeForce 6600 LE) vs 0.1 (RADEON 9800 XT) — the GeForce 6600 LE offers 1600% better value. The newer card here is RADEON 9800 XT (2022 vs 2012).

FeatureGeForce 6600 LERADEON 9800 XT
MSRP
$30-94%
$499
Performance per Dollar
1.7+1600%
0.1
Codename
GK104
Navi 31
Release
August 22 2012
November 3 2022
Ranking
#799
#21

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